We are not talking creepy and haunted. We are simply saying abandoned but yet beautiful. Visiting these abandoned places in India will make you fall in love with silence. They will give you moments to rediscover yourself. They will give you moments to fleeting thoughts and imaginations. In case you are looking for such places to visit, here is the list of top 5 beautiful but abandoned places in India.

Abandoned Places in India – 1: Vijayanagara in Karnataka

Look at it from a distance and you will see a painting brought to life by master strokes of a painter’s brush. Get in there and there is sombre silence waiting to greet your tired soul and give you some moments of peace. Look around and you will hear the tales of history echoing out of the rocks and structures standing there in silence for centuries.

We are talking of the ruins of the famous Vijayanagara Empire’s capital. What lays in ruins today was once a thriving city! At one point, it became world’s second-most populous city in year 1500.

Blue-green waters of the ocean, silvery sands of the beach – that’s how you look at Andaman. That’s where your heart desires to go when you think of nature’s cradle. But if you think you have discovered all of Andaman, you are plain wrong! There is more. Standing there is absolute silence is what was once known as Paris of East. It is none other than the Ross Island. This island was once the headquarters of the Imperial British rule in India. At its height, it symbolized the power and lifestyle of the imperial period. Its extravaganza earned it the name – Paris of the East. Today, the edifices from the era of British rule stand in its ruins.

The place was abandoned back in 1941, thanks to a massive earthquake that forced its inhabitants to abandon it. Today the nature is gradually taking of the edifices that once symbolized power. Mammoth trees and intertwining creepers, mossed settlements – all are screaming evidences that time and nature are supreme. There is an uncanny silence spread all over the Island. The only voices you can hear apart from your own voice are echoes of your voice. Of course, the tales of history await rediscovery by you.

Abandoned Places in India – 3: Chiktan Fort, Ladakh

Chiktan Fort or Chiktan Garh will remind you of the fabled Dracula’s castle. The only difference, Chiktan is real. Standing atop an isolated mountain in Kargil region of India, it once used to be a royal residence for several centuries. Rulers changed, Chiktan got amalgamated with kingdoms of the neighbourhood but the fort stood there, symbolizing strength, brotherhood, unity and community of the people who used to live there.

It was built back in 16th century but today, it has been reduced to rubbles by natural forces. The remnants of the fort cast an eerie shadow downhill – a shadow comparable to the darkness that fills our minds when we hear the tales of Dracula.

Abandoned Places in India – 4: Karnataka’s Shettihalli Church

In Hassan District of Karnataka stands a church that was built in 1800s by the French missionaries. The church was built at Hemavathi river’s bank. There used to be a village there. In 1900’s, the Indian government built the Gorur Dam to make good use of the river water. The result was that the village was moved upstream. Each monsoon, the river floods the Hemavathi reservoir and when that happens, the Shettihalli Church gets submerged.

When the water recedes, the church reappears again. The entire church is not there…only its bare skeleton – the columns and a few walls. Still, what remains of it is standing strong. The skeletal remains of the church and its surroundings are awfully silent but artistically elegant. When submerged in water, it has a whole different charm to it.

Abandoned Places in India – 5: Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu

Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu bore the wrath of Mother Nature in the form of a cyclone. It happened 50 years ago when a bustling town was completely uprooted by the furious cyclone. Meters high tidal waves swallowed everything, including a train that was teeming with 115 passengers. The train became their coffin and the sea became their watery graveyard. Everything from buildings to people, post office to railway station, hotels to water tank – everything was destroyed on that fateful night of December. All that remained was desolateness and haunting silence. The located on the Pamban Island then became a ghost town, waiting to be put to rest for half a century. It was totally abandoned and only received a few occasional tourists and pilgrims.

Why pilgrims? Because Dhanushkodi is connected to Indian epic – Ramayana. The religious significance of the place comes from Ramayana. It is said that Lord Rama had a bridge (setu) built from India to Sri Lanka from here. The bridge was made using stones. Lord Rama’s name was etched on the stones and thrown in sea. The stones remained afloat and Rama crossed over to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita, who was abducted by the demon king Ravana. It is stilled believed that the Ram Setu (the name of the bridge that was built) still exists today. There is quite a fuss around the internet as people claim that the bridge still exists to this day.

Dhanushkodi is however in the process of getting road connectivity. Until that happens, the screaming silence of the ghost town will stay and if want to visit the place, it is the right time to do say because later, this place will again sparkle with life. 50 years has been a long time to grieve.